I. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to computer networks and wireless communications. More specifically, the present invention relates to collecting end-user opinions on software applications in a wireless network environment.
II. Description of the Related Art
Collecting end-user opinions is an important way to improve products and can often lead to a greater market penetration. Traditionally, manufacturers of appliances send out surveys with their products and ask consumers about the reasons for which they bought their products, and their opinions about the initial use of the product. However, the direct solicitation method is faulty and presents several shortcomings. The direct solicitation method presents the survey to a buyer before the buyer has a significant opportunity to use the product, and furthermore, there is no certainty the end-user will send the survey back after filling it out.
The methods for collecting end user opinions have changed with the introduction of software merchandises and the Internet. The software applications, either purchased and loaded upon an Internet-connected computer or downloaded across the Internet, often come with a user survey and sometimes the application automatically sends an electronic mail with the opinion and survey information directly back to the manufacturer. Again, this method usually collects only data concerning the end-user""s motivation to purchase particular software merchandise, and does not collect the end-user""s opinion about the software application itself.
Some websites on the Internet rate consumer products and also collect end-user opinions through interacting with end-users that contact the website. The end-users can activate a screen concerning a particular product and enter their opinions and the opinions are made available to other end-users that access the website. This approach presents several shortcomings in that it does not verify the identity of the end-user entering the opinion and has no way to confirm the user has actually purchased or used the product. Furthermore, this website polling method relies on the initiative from the end-user, instead of proactive actions from the manufacturers.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a system and method that proactively collects opinions from the end-users who actually have purchased and used the products. If instituted in a limited bandwidth network, such system and method should not add significant cost to the end-user. It is thus to such a system and method for collecting end-user opinions that the present invention is primarily directed.
The present invention discloses a system, method and program for collecting opinions from end-users who have downloaded applications and data across a wireless network. The system gathers opinion data through proactively sending out questionnaires and surveys to the users, after the users have purchased and used the products for a predefined period, and dispatches the questionnaires and surveys back to a server after the users have filled them out.
In one example, the system can send a questionnaire applet for display on the wireless device to the end-user, and the end-user can enter opinion data at the wireless device. After the user enters opinion data, the wireless device sends the opinion data to a server, which is in communication with the wireless network. The transmission of the questionnaire and the opinion data can be done during the registration procedure of the wireless device when it downloads the application and/or data, or when the wireless device first connects to the wireless network, and thus, become locatable on the wireless network. The process of uploading the questionnaire to the end-user can thus be transparent to the user and not significantly use the communication bandwidth.
The gathering of opinion data can occur based upon several criteria, such as duration after initial download of the application or data, the number of times the application or data has been executed or accessed, or at some other interval such as asking the end-user for an application upgrade or providing an application patch. If the opinion data gathering mechanism, such as a questionnaire, was placed at the wireless device at the time of download, then the predetermined criteria to request end-user opinion data input will be determined at the time of download of the application or data.
In one embodiment, after collecting the opinion data from the end-users, the server can forward the opinion data to application manufacturers for evaluation. The server may require the manufacturers to subscribe to this opinion data collection service. If a manufacturer subscribes to the service, the server can forward the opinion data to the manufacturer immediately after receipt from the end-user. If the manufacturer is not a subscriber, the server can invite the manufacturer to become a subscriber after receiving end-user opinion data for that manufacturer""s application.
The present invention therefore provides an advantage in that the questionnaire and the opinion data can be transferred through the wireless communication network without significantly consuming useful bandwidth. The advantageous use of security and identification protocols inherent in a wireless communication network, such as a cellular telecommunication network, ensures that the actual end-user of a software product is identified and presented with the questionnaire for gathering of opinion data. The system and method therefore provide valuable marketing data for manufacturers of applications that are downloaded across the wireless network.
Other objects, advantages, and features of the present invention will become apparent after review of the hereinafter set forth Brief Description of the Drawings, Detailed Description of the Invention, and the claims.